Signal processing device, rotary measuring device, rotary measuring system, and vehicle

This application is a continuation application of international patent application PCT/EP2022/073025, filed Aug. 18, 2022, designating the United States and claiming priority from German application 10 2021 123 244.9, filed Sep. 8, 2021, and the entire content of both applications is incorporated herein by reference.

The disclosure relates to a signal processing device. The disclosure furthermore relates to a rotary measuring device, a rotary measuring system and a vehicle.

Such a signal processing device is used for signal processing for a rotary measuring device. The rotary measuring device includes a rotary measuring sensor and a rotary scale body, the rotary scale body having a feature count of measurement features arranged along a circular path, which in particular are arranged equidistantly.

A measurement feature may be in various forms depending on the configuration of the rotary scale body. The rotary scale body can have for example a geometric, optical or magnetic material measure in the form of measurement features.

Such rotary measuring devices are generally known, in particular in the field of machines and vehicles. An instantaneous rotational position of a rotating part such as for example, a shaft or a wheel can be determined via a rotary measuring device. Furthermore, direction of rotation, rotational speed and further movement- and/or position-related parameters can be determined via a rotary measuring device. A wide variety of rotary measuring sensors, the sensor principle of which is based on a different measurement principle in each case, for example based on a magnetic, optical or inductive measurement principle, are known for a rotary measuring device. In the case of a magnetic measurement principle, in particular a Hall sensor can be used to output a voltage change that is characteristic of an instantaneous orientation of a scale body relative to the Hall sensor. A Hall sensor advantageously enables a reliable position determination independently of the rotational speed, in particular even if the rotating part is stationary or is rotating relatively slowly.

The signal processing device is configured to provide successive message sequences for signal processing purposes. The type of a message sequence can routinely be defined in an associated data protocol. Data protocols, in particular data sequences, for rotary measuring devices are likewise known. In this regard, a predefined specification which predefines a scheme of messages in a provided succession, that is, in a so-called message sequence, namely for providing and communicating measurement data of the rotary measuring device, may generally be provided in a data protocol or for a data sequence.

As such, a signal processing device mentioned in the introduction may be configured to output message sequences, a message sequence having a message count of successive messages, such that chronologically successive messages are chronologically successively associated with locally adjacent measurement features, wherein the measurement features interact with the rotary measuring sensor, and each message is provided in a message type selected from a predetermined number of message types.

The signal processing device mentioned in the introduction is configured to output message sequences such that a message arranged at a fixed sequence position in the message sequence is a message of a predetermined type which describes a feature property of the associated measurement feature.

Rotary measuring devices, rotary measuring systems and signal processing devices, in particular electronic signal processing devices, are furthermore worthy of improvement with regard to the signal processing. In particular, this concerns the lowest possible susceptibility to errors and an improved possibility for diagnostics during the signal processing.

It is therefore desirable to specify an improved signal processing device for a rotary measuring device, and also a rotary measuring device and a rotary measuring system.

It is an object of the disclosure to specify, in an improved manner, an electronic signal processing device and a rotary measuring device in which the disadvantages of the prior art are overcome at least in part. In particular, the lowest possible susceptibility to errors and improved possibilities for diagnostics are intended to be made possible.

The object, concerning the signal processing device, in particular with a data protocol, is, for example achieved by a signal processing device for a rotary measuring device having a rotary measuring sensor and a rotary scale body having a feature count of measurement features, including: a non-transitory computer readable medium having program code stored thereon; the program code being configured, when executed by a processor, to cause the signal processing device to provide a plurality of chronologically successive message sequences; each of the message sequences having a message count of successive messages such that chronologically successive messages are chronologically successively assigned to locally adjacent measurement features, wherein the measurement features interact with the rotary measuring sensor, and each of the messages is provided in a message type selected from a predetermined number of message types; the message of the successive messages arranged at a fixed sequence position of the message sequences being a message of a predetermined type which describes a feature property of the assigned measurement features; and, the program code being configured to cause the signal processing device to generate the message sequences such that the message count and the feature count are coprime with one another.

The disclosure proceeds from a, in particular electronic, signal processing device mentioned in the introduction, preferably for a vehicle, for a rotary measuring device having a rotary measuring sensor and a rotary scale body, the rotary scale body having a feature count of measurement features.

The rotary measuring sensor is associated with the rotary scale body for the purpose of detecting measurement features, in particular for the purpose of detecting the measurement features in conjunction with a rotating movement of the rotary scale body.

The signal processing device is configured to provide successive message sequences for signal processing purposes.

A message sequence has a message count of messages such that one measurement feature in each case is associated with one message in each case, and another measurement feature in each case of the feature count is associated with each respective message of the message count.

A message arranged at a fixed sequence position in the message sequence is a message of a predetermined type which describes a feature property of the associated measurement feature. This applies to at least one message arranged at a fixed sequence position within the message sequence; there may also be provision for multiple messages of a predetermined type, each one of which describes in each case one feature property of the associated measurement feature.

According to the disclosure, there is provision for the signal processing device to be configured to generate the message sequences such that the message count and the feature count are coprime with one another.

Within the context of this application, “coprimeness” is intended to be understood to mean that there is no natural number other than “1” that divides both the message count and the feature count.

Generally, two natural numbers are called coprime if there is no natural number other than “1” that divides the two numbers. Relatively prime is also used as a synonym for coprime. That is, that if two natural numbers have no common prime factor, they are coprime. It follows from this definition that any natural number is coprime with “1”, including the number “1” itself. To put it another way: a fraction including two coprime numbers cannot be canceled down, therefore. The highest common factor is usually used to demonstrate coprimeness. Two numbers are coprime if and only if “1” is their highest common factor. Within this context, the feature of coprimeness is intended to be understood to mean that there is no natural number other than “1” that divides both the message count and the feature count.

The feature according to the disclosure of “coprimeness” preferably applies to all message sequences equally.

As a result of the message sequence or the message sequences being generated such that the message count and the feature count are coprime with one another, a changing association between a message sequence and the measurement features covered by the message sequence is achieved, that is, an association that changes with each measurement cycle or with each rotation of the rotary scale body.

To put it another way: the concept of the disclosure achieves the effect that individual measurement features are not “skipped” in a constantly recurring manner with each rotation of the rotary scale body.

The “locally adjacent measurement feature” preferably means a “directly adjacent measurement feature”, that is, it generally means the “next feature after a preceding feature in a defined succession of features”. Correspondingly, “chronologically successive messages” preferably means “chronologically directly successive messages” and moreover means the temporal analog—that is, this concerns a message sequence and a measurement feature series in which an element (message/measurement feature) “n+1” follows after a preceding “n”. The background is the tie to a fixed succession or a fixed relationship of an association.

Primarily, the association is preferably between directly adjacent measurement features and in each case the chronologically directly successive messages. Preferably, therefore, “directly” is primarily intended to mean that “the next measurement feature in the succession of measurement features follows without an intervening measurement feature” and “chronologically directly” is intended to mean the temporal analog in which a message follows the preceding message “without an intervening message”. In a variation, there may possibly be another element (possibly unused) between two elements (message/measurement feature); however, the tie to a fixed succession or a fixed relationship of an association between adjacent measurement features and in each case the chronologically successive messages remains.

In short, this thus means that a message sequence has a message count of successive messages such that chronologically successive messages are associated with measurement features—which are locally adjacent and chronologically successively interact with the rotary measuring sensor.

In a second aspect, the disclosure presents a rotary measuring device for a rotating part, preferably for a vehicle, particularly preferably for a shaft or a wheel of a vehicle, including: a rotary measuring sensor having a pickup, a rotary scale body, and a signal processing device in accordance with a first aspect of the disclosure, which is connected to the pickup in a signal-carrying manner. Advantageously, the signal processing device is integrated in the rotary measuring sensor, particularly advantageously accommodated in a housing together with the pickup.

Preferably, the rotary scale body has a feature count of measurement features, in particular wherein the measurement features are arranged along a circular path and/or equidistantly. The rotary measuring sensor is associated with the rotary scale body for the purpose of detecting measurement features, in particular for the purpose of detecting the measurement features in conjunction with a rotating movement of the rotary scale body.

In a third aspect, the disclosure presents a rotary measuring system, preferably for a vehicle, including at least one rotary measuring device in accordance with the second aspect of the disclosure, and an association unit configured to associate the message of a predetermined type arranged at a selection position in the message sequence, in particular a status message of a message sequence, with a measurement feature.

In a fourth aspect, the disclosure presents a vehicle, including a rotary measuring device in accordance with the second aspect of the disclosure. The vehicle is preferably an automobile or a utility vehicle.

A rotary measuring device in accordance with the second aspect or a rotary measuring system in accordance with the third aspect of the disclosure can particularly advantageously be used in a vehicle since a lower susceptibility to errors and/or an improved possibility for diagnostics of the rotary measuring device are/is achieved in an improved manner by the signal processing device in accordance with the first aspect of the disclosure. In particular, the safety and reliability of the vehicle can advantageously be increased as a result.

In accordance with a fifth aspect of the disclosure, there is provision for a method for signal processing for a rotary measuring device having a rotary measuring sensor and a rotary scale body, the rotary scale body having a feature count of measurement features, wherein the method for signal processing includes the step of: providing successive message sequences, in particular by way of the signal processing device, wherein a message sequence has a message count of successive messages such that chronologically successive messages are associated with measurement features—which are locally adjacent and chronologically successively interact with the rotary measuring sensor—and each message is provided in a message type selected from a predetermined number of message types, and a message arranged at a fixed sequence position in the message sequence is a message of a predetermined type which describes a feature property of the associated measurement feature.

The method according to the fifth aspect has provision for the message sequences to be generated such that the message count and the feature count are coprime with one another.

In an embodiment, the rotary measuring system has an electronic control unit (ECU), which is implemented particularly advantageously within the scope of a computing and data processing device. The signal processing device and/or the electronic control unit (ECU) can advantageously be a microcontroller, for example an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC, also custom chip) chip. Advantageously, the signal processing device and/or the electronic control unit (ECU) have/has a communication interface, for example an antenna or suchlike wireless communication interface to the pickup. The pickup of the rotary measuring sensor is associated with the rotary scale body for the purpose of detecting measurement features, in particular for the purpose of detecting the measurement features in conjunction with a rotating movement of the rotary scale body. The electronic control unit can advantageously include an association unit and/or an association memory and/or a diagnostic unit.

The method is advantageously configured in the form of a computer-implemented method, including the steps of the method for signal processing.

In accordance with a sixth aspect of the disclosure, there is provision for a computer program product, wherein the computer program product includes instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer or suchlike electronic control unit (ECU), particularly advantageously within the scope of a computing and data processing device, cause the latter to carry out the steps of the method according to the fifth aspect.

Advantageous developments of the disclosure can be found in various embodiments and specify, in detail, advantageous possibilities for implementing the concept explained above within the scope of the stated problem and with regard to further advantages. It should also be understood that the signal processing device, preferably with an associated data protocol, in accordance with the first aspect of the disclosure, the rotary measuring device in accordance with the second aspect of the disclosure, the rotary measuring system in accordance with the third aspect of the disclosure, the vehicle in accordance with the fourth aspect of the disclosure, the method in accordance with the fifth aspect of the disclosure and the computer program product in accordance with the sixth aspect of the disclosure have identical and similar sub-aspects. In this respect, for the development of one aspect of the disclosure, reference is also made to the developments of the other aspects of the disclosure.

Advantageously, the measurement features are arranged on the rotary scale body along a circular path and/or equidistantly.

A measurement feature is advantageously formed by properties of the rotary scale body, in particular by the geometric, optical or magnetic properties of the rotary scale body. Besides the detection of a continuous measurement signal describing the instantaneous rotational position of the rotating part, it has proved to be advantageous to define measurement features by way of characteristic, in particular reliably detectable, locations on the rotary scale body. As such, a measurement feature can be arranged at a location of a local maximal or minimal manifestation of the rotary scale body, for example at a location of a locally maximally or minimally manifested magnetization or radial extent (for example, at the maximum of a tooth tip or at the minimum of a tooth trough) or the like. Moreover, a combination is possible, such that a measurement feature is formed by each local maximum and by each local minimum.

Alternatively or additionally, a measurement feature may be formed by other properties of the rotary scale body, advantageously by the location of a local change, in particular maximal change, generally of a property or a transition between properties of the rotary scale body.

Such a location may be formed for example by a tooth edge at a transition from a tooth tip to a tooth trough, or by a transition between two magnetic poles. It should therefore be understood that one or more measurement features can be associated with a material measure on the rotary scale body, for example a tooth or a tooth-trough pairing or a magnetic pole.

In an embodiment—which is also described in greater detail in regard to the embodiments as a pole wheel (target)—a rotary scale body can be implemented as a pole wheel (target). Nevertheless, a wide variety of implementation variants of these or other embodiments are possible, for example, as a toothed or perforated wheel or a magnetized wheel, for instance in the form of a drum, disk or the like. Reference made here in some instances to a pole wheel (target) as an embodiment should on no account be understood to be restrictive in this respect, but rather should be understood by way of example to explain a general principle.

A data protocol is understood to be a specification regarding the order of messages that are provided by the signal processing device or the rotary measuring device. The data protocol can thus serve merely for defining a data sequence. In developments, the data protocol can include further specifications, for example for defining the length and/or the encoding of individual messages.

Advantageously, the message of a predetermined type which is arranged at a fixed sequence position within the message sequence and describes a feature property of the associated measurement feature is a status message in accordance with a data protocol. The, in this advantageous development, at least one predetermined message of each message sequence, arranged at a fixed sequence position within the message sequence, is thus preferably a status message which describes a feature property of the associated measurement feature. The message sequence of the electronic signal processing device in accordance with the concept of the disclosure can advantageously be used to ensure that a status message is gradually—that is, with every measurement cycle or rotation of the rotary scale body—provided for a greater number of measurement features of the rotary scale body.

Better fault recognition is therefore advantageously achieved; this applies primarily to the status messages—which describe feature properties of an associated measurement feature.

In particular, it is ensured that in a measurement cycle a message sequence is associated with a number of measurement features that differ from measurement features detected in a previous measurement cycle, or previous rotation of the rotary scale body. Such changing association of the successive message sequences with the measurement features—and thus association of the messages—advantageously ensures that the message of a predetermined type, in particular a status message—which is always arranged at the same location in the order of the message sequence—is likewise provided with a changing association with a measurement feature. This advantageously ensures that a greater feature count of measurement features is acquired by a message of a predetermined type, in particular a status message.

Advantageously, the signal processing device is in the form of an electronic signal processing device, in particular with a protocol association in accordance with which the message of a predetermined type is in the form of a status message. For the sake of simplicity, this message of a predetermined type is referred to as a status message hereinbelow, it being fundamentally necessary to consider that in individual cases it should be regarded as a message of a predetermined type in accordance with the concept of the disclosure, even independently of a data protocol.

Owing to the evaluation, explained in more detail later on, of unforeseeable message times, each sensor is advantageously connected to the signal processing device as an evaluating device via a separate, “dedicated” electrical line. Preferably, the signal processing device is also in the form of an electronic signal processing device as a result of the interface of an electrical line to the sensor, in particular a separate electrical line configured specifically for evaluation.

Preferably, there is provision for a quotient of the feature count and the message count not to be an integer; this refers to a quotient of the feature count in the numerator and the message count in the denominator. The quotient of the feature count and the message count not being an integer thus means that integer division of the feature count by the message count always results in a remainder being left. The message count is therefore always made up of an integer-divisible portion and a remainder. In particular, this integer indivisibility also encompasses cases in which the feature count of measurement features is less than the message count of messages per message sequence. To put it another way, the development involves the feature count of measurement features not being an integer multiple of the message count of messages per message sequence.

This will be explained by way of example in comparison with a possible electronic signal processing device which, with a message count of 10 messages in a message sequence given a feature count of 60 measurement features, has a feature count 60 that is divisible by the message count of 10.